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About the course

If you’re passionate about communicating the marvels of chemistry to young people then we’re keen to develop your skills and knowledge in chemistry to inspire young minds and meet the rising demand for GCSE and A Level Chemistry.

Our aim is to help you become a committed, confident and creative teacher so we’ll help equip you with the essential tools you need to kick-start your career in education. We’ll train you to teach across the years, covering topics from learning how to introduce students to atoms, elements and particles, to thermodynamics and inorganic chemistry.

You’ll also learn how to demonstrate impressive chemical reactions safely!

As you progress, you’ll increase your ability to handle the ever-evolving teaching environment, and by the time your course is complete, you’ll be in a position to continue developing your understanding, knowledge and skills throughout your professional life.

Your course will feature a range of modules and the opportunity to get plenty of hands-on practice in local schools with support from colleagues in the school partnership and experienced University tutors. So while the PGCE is an academic qualification, the emphasis is very much on practical experience, with around two thirds of the course spent in school.

The course is taught by experienced practitioners, all of whom have been exceptional teachers and senior managers within schools.

Interview process

You will be required to attend one interview. Interviews include:

• exploration of curriculum knowledge

• discussions about relevant experiences

• a presentation or small teaching exercise

• written task

We also look for:

• good communication skills

• potential / suitability to be a good teacher

• robustness to cope with the demands of the course

How school placements work

You will spend two-thirds of your time – at least 120 days – working in schools on block placements gaining valuable real-life experience in schools. The 120 days will be split over a minimum of two placements in science departments. You will gain direct teaching experience and work with experienced practitioners in the classroom. School placements are predominantly in West Midlands secondary schools. You will be assigned a trained mentor and/or a tutor while on placement, who will support and guide your work, as well as provide training and feedback.

Fees

The course fees for 2019/2020 are as follows:

Student type

Fees to pay

UK students

£9,250

EU students

£9,250

Financial support

You could be eligible for either:

a scholarship of £28,000

a bursary of £26,000

To qualify for a scholarship you’ll need a degree of 2:1 or above in Chemistry or a related subject. For a bursary you’ll need a 2:2 or above in any subject.

You can’t claim both a bursary and a scholarship - you can only claim one.

Requirements

Qualifications

An undergraduate Honours degree at 2:2 or above from a UK higher education institution, or a recognised equivalent, in a relevant subject.

GCSEs at grade C/4 or above (or its equivalent) in English language and mathematics at the point of enrolment.

For entry onto a teaching course you’ll need to pass the Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy before you are able to enrol.

Full entry requirements can be found on the page for each course on our website: www.bcu.ac.uk/education

Personal qualities

Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills?

Other requirements

Applicants must meet the Department for Education’s Initial Teacher Training criteria, which means being medically fit and successfully completing an enhanced disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and satisfying any other safeguarding checks required for this course.

While not essential, you may wish to gain some school experience before attending interview.

If you are a graduate and wish to train as a teacher but your degree did not provide enough subject specific content for you to gain automatic entry, you may be required to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course.

About the training provider

At Birmingham City University’s School of Education and Social Work, we never give up in our aspirations for tomorrow’s teachers. Our student teachers will be ‘the village’ it takes ‘to raise a child’. Training more teachers than anyone else in the region (HESA, 2016), we educate Birmingham, teaching generations of professionals to teach generations of young people.

We’re the highest ranked provider of courses in the ‘Education’ category in the West Midlands (Guardian League Table 2019). Our courses are taught by staff who are experienced professionals and maintain links with their sector to ensure you get the most up-to-date learning during your course. Many are research active, contributing to scholarship in education, childhood and youth.

Placements form two-thirds of our PGCE courses, giving you the opportunity to get hands-on and apply and grow your skills in some of our many partnership schools, ensuring you gain experience in a variety of educational settings so that you’re ready for employment when you graduate. We’re located at our City South Campus in Edgbaston, which has recently had a £41 million extension giving us excellent specialist facilities.

Our aim for when you graduate is that you can think for yourself, critically and reflectively determining what’s best, not what’s easiest. Our graduates are very successful in finding employment and many take jobs in the West Midlands. 99% of our PGCE Secondary students were in employment or further study 6 months after graduating (DLHE 2016/17).

Join us and let us empower you to inspire future generations.

Training with disabilities and other needs

The University aims to provide an accessible environment and a range of support services to enable disabled students to participate fully in all

activities of the University. We believe a person is only disabled when confronted by negative attitudes and environmental barriers. We are working towards creating a positive, supportive and inclusive learning

environment across all the University’s sites and faculties.

Our Student Affairs team offers support and advice for prospective and current students with physical or sensory disabilities, specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia), autism or chronic medical conditions. They also provide information about additional funding such as Disabled Students’ Allowances, run a Personal Assistance Scheme and offer a dyslexia screening and diagnostic service.

Our campus is fully accessible with accessible toilets (having hoists), hearing loops in lecture theatres and networked assistive technology including Claro Read and Inspiration. In addition, we have PCs at our City South Campus which are designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

For further information and advice, please visit: www.bcu.ac.uk/student-affairs